Kat Spangler has been a certified personal trainer and holistic health coach since 2011. At just 19 years old she opened doors to her business, Eat N Run Fitness which she thought would be a simple 1:1 personal training business. Little did she know that she had her own health battle ahead of her which would lead her down a path to help hundreds of women get to the root of their weight struggles and discover the incredible healing powers of food and fitness. Kat’s business has since grown to an online weight loss and wellness brand that offers a variety of programs focusing on gut health, mindset transformation, and lifelong habit change.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I grew up as a dancer and as such struggled a lot with body image and my relationship with food. I basically experienced orthorexia by day eating incredibly clean and working out 1-2 hours a day and binged at night. As fate would have it, I got a 3rd-degree ankle sprain that ended my dance career, at which time my older sister Autumn Calabrese (you may know her from Beachbody’s 21 Day Fix) invited me to intern with her in California as a trainer. I fell in love with the business and the idea of owning my own company one day. So at 19, I got my certification, and after struggling with my own health issues (namely hashimoto’s thyroiditis and leaky gut) decided to get a certification in nutrition as well. At that point, I made it my goal to help as many women as possible lose weight without hurting their bodies with extremes as I had.

What inspired you to start your business?

Watching my sister hustle and build her brand, relying on a lot of creativity, problem-solving, and grit, always really excited me. Plus the frustration I experienced looking at the dieting world filled with pseudoscience, quick fixes, and unhealthy extremes that I knew were causing more harm than good really made me passionate about making a change. I felt like we needed different voices and perspectives in that space and I wanted to be one of them, leading the charge. 

Where is your business based?

I still do some 1:1 personal training in Dallas, but most of my coaching (whether nutrition or fitness) is done online now.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I feel like my business had 2 different starts. The first was in college where I did what I thought was important: I registered my trademark for Eat N Run Fitness, built myself a very basic website, ordered some business cards, and tried to talk about my business as much as possible to friends and classmates. I got a few clients here or there but nothing that would support me. After I graduated and started my business in earnest (aka earning a livable paycheck), I threw up an ad on Groupon and shifted my focus to building my network and getting as many referrals as possible.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Referrals, referrals, referrals. I always tried to make sure my clients had an outstanding experience with me. Even from a young age, I understood the importance of personally connecting with my clients and making them feel heard, understood, and seen. Anyone can give you a workout routine or nutrition plan, but I think that deeper connection is what had people actively recommending me to their friends.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

My biggest challenge was creating consistent leads. I was beyond grateful for all of the referrals, but it wasn’t something I could rely on to grow my business consistently. I wanted a system in place where I knew I could get x amount of new clients each month. My solution was to hire coaches to teach me what I didn’t know. I got coaches who taught me challenge funnels, email funnels, mastermind funnels, freebie funnels, and everything in between so I could play a more active and intentional role in building up my clientele. 

How do you stay focused?

I can’t help but chuckle at this question because for me staying focused has never been my problem. I get tunnel vision once I start on a project. My struggle is breaking out of that hyper-focus state to make sure I’m making time to take care of myself and enjoy the life this business has helped me create. But also, for anyone who does struggle with focus, my recommendation is to GET A PLANNER. If I don’t have my big projects written down, broken down, and mapped out day-by-day, they will NOT get done.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

I never follow the crowd. I see so many coaches and trainers who take the easy way out and jump on whatever trend is hot at the moment (keto, paleo, vegan, etc.). But that just goes against everything I believe in. I dig deeper with my clients and go further with my research than I think most wellness experts are willing to go. I don’t just read nutrition books or fitness magazines. I do deep dives into psychology, trauma, hormones, gut health, habit change, motivational interviewing, anything and everything that could make me a more effective, more well-rounded, and more compassionate coach.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

A few years ago, I reached out to a popular influencer in my area to see if she’d be interested in working together. At first, I heard nothing back. But when I reached out a second time she happened to be looking for a trainer to get fit for her daughter’s wedding.  Not only did she feature me in her blog, she documented her entire journey on Instagram stories, and brought me on to host an IG Live with her. 3 years later that relationship is still getting me regular clients.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

I know you probably hear it all the time but shows up consistently (I did a post every single weekday for years before I got ANY social media traction). And stop letting perfectionism keep you from getting in the game. There is no shortcutting the process of messing up and going through multiple iterations of your business. It’s going to be messy. You’re going to screw up. There will be days where you are crying in the fetal position wondering why on earth you started this business. It’s OKAY. Feel the fear, feel the frustration, feel the struggle, and then KEEP GOING.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite app is Canva. It has been a gamechanger in helping me make absolutely beautiful, professional marketing materials from social media posts to flyers to business cards. I’m going to say my favorite podcast (since I honestly don’t really read blogs) is The Brendon Show; it just has such powerful content on health, productivity, habit change, AND business. You really can get it all right there. Asking my favorite book is like asking a mother who is her favorite child. But if I HAD to pick one it would be Jen Sincero’s ‘You Are a Badass’ largely because that was the first book that really changed the way I approached my life and mindset. It put the power in my hands to create whatever outcomes I wanted for myself regardless of what was happening around me. Plus, I find her dry humor and wit endlessly entertaining.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

I love the app ‘Spending’. It’s not necessarily specific to entrepreneurs, but I can’t tell you how much my business improved when I started tracking and taking control of my finances. Instead of hoping I would make enough and praying I wouldn’t spend too much, I could actually start making investment and saving decisions that would give me enough cushion to get me through slower months and enough freedom to make bigger investments like masterminds, business coaches, and copywriters.

Who is your business role model? Why?

My business coach Jo Konecny. I’ve admired her since before she was a business coach and she was just a fellow nutrition coach I knew through Instagram. She not only is brilliant at marketing, sales, and scaling, but she does it all with such authenticity. Nothing about what she teaches feels slimy or ‘salesy’. She isn’t like a lot of other business owners I know who are all hustle and no chill. She sets the example to work hard AND take time for yourself which I value deeply.

How do you balance work and life?

I was bad at this for a long time, but it comes down to setting hard boundaries with yourself and being real with yourself. I used to act like every single thing I did in my business was life or death and like everything was equally important. It wasn’t. I had to start going through my daily tasks with a fine-tooth comb to figure out what was actually creating a measurable impact vs what was just extra work I was creating for myself with little to no return. As far as boundaries go, I block off an hour a day for lunch to make sure I’m feeding myself, I do NOT work weekends in any capacity, and unless I’m mid-launch I have a hard cut off at 8 pm (though usually try to be done by 6).

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Either a long walk outside in the sunshine while listening to really upbeat, empowering music or a killer workout with a playlist that makes me feel like a badass.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

My 1:1 coaching is almost at capacity so the next 6 months will be heavily focused on building up my online group programs so I can create more time, income, and freedom for myself while also creating a bigger impact.

How can our readers connect with you?

I post a ton of free content on TikTok and Instagram @katspanglerunleashed and on my podcast, Life Unleashed with Kat Spangler. They can also book a free call with me at